What kind of move is this?

The map is built for a permanent move. This decision is where you confirm that's the move you're making.

Everyone I talk to says some version of "we're moving to Costa Rica," and everyone means something different by it. One family means selling the house and never looking back. Another means six months here and six months there. Another wants a trial year with a real decision point at the end. Another already owns a place on the Pacific coast and wonders if it's time to make it permanent.

There's a reason this is decision one. Everything else hangs off it, even though it's far from the hardest decision in the map. Your residency pathway and your housing structure depend on what you're building. So do your tax exposure and even your budget. Skip this one and you'll make decision four or six on an assumption nobody checked.

I've seen people jump straight to logistics because logistics feel productive. They ask which region or which visa. Those questions matter, but they're the second question. The first is simpler: what are you building here, and what happens if it doesn't work?

Here's what we're doing: name the move, list what you already have there, and name your exit plan. You don't expect to need the exit plan. Deciding it now just lets you commit fully instead of half-committing out of fear.